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Former President Donald J. Trump responded after a Florida judge said they were inclined to appoint a special master after he requested one.
A federal judge has announced his preliminary intent to appoint a special master and requested by the attorneys for former President Donald Trump, to review documents that the FBI took from Mar-A-Lago.
“Federal Judge in Florida just took over the Presidential Records Act case, including the unprecedented, unnecessary, and unannounced FBI/DOJ Raid (Break-In!) of my home, Mar-a-Lago. This assault was done for political purposes just prior to the Midterm Elections (and 2024, of course!). It is a disgrace to our now Third World Nation!” Donald Trump said.
On Saturday, U.S. District Judge from the Southern District of Florida, Judge Aileen M. Cannon, said the decision was made based on submissions from the former President’s attorneys and the “exceptional circumstances presented,” Fox News reported.
Fox News also shared:
A hearing is set for Sept. 1 at 1:00 p.m. in West Palm Beach, Fla. Cannon also ordered the Justice Department to file a response by Aug. 30 and provide, “under seal,” a “more detailed Receipt for Property specifying all property seized pursuant to the search warrant executed on August 8, 2022.”
The current property receipt shows that FBI agents took approximately 20 boxes of items from the premises, including one set of documents marked as “Various classified/TS/SCI documents,” which refers to top secret/sensitive compartmented information.
Records covered by that government classification level could potentially include human intelligence and information that, if disclosed, could jeopardize relations between the U.S. and other nations, as well as the lives of intelligence operatives abroad. However, the classification also encompasses national security information related to the daily operations of the president of the United States.
“District Court Judge Aileen Cannon in the Southern District of Florida ordered Trump’s lawyers to elaborate on their arguments for why the court has the ability to step in at this time, explain what exactly Trump is asking for and whether the Justice Department has been served with Trump’s special master motion,” CNN previously reported.
“Cannon also asked Trump’s team to weigh in on any effect the request might have on a separate review conducted by a magistrate judge into whether any portions of the still-sealed FBI affidavit laying out probable cause for the search can be released,” the report added.
Earlier this week, Trump filed a motion for a “special master” to review the documents taken from Mar-A-Lago, instead of the Department of Justice.
“The request for a so-called special master to review the documents could be filed as soon as Monday in Florida, the person said, requesting anonymity because the matter isn’t public. Trump also plans to ask for a court order requiring the Department of Justice to provide more details about the property that was seized and to return materials that weren’t covered by the warrant, the person said,” Bloomberg News reported.
Trump had previously said that some of the records taken from his home were protected by the attorney-client privilege.
The FBI took away about 20 boxes containing 11 sets of classified documents. Trump’s passports have been returned, and it’s not clear which documents are protected by the privilege.
